The drive for development of new and novel oral biomaterials has never been more important with many people using oral biomaterials today and seeing their benefits in restoring and improving their oral health for a more enjoyable lifestyle. The unique properties of biomaterials such as titanium (Ti), zirconia (ZrO2) and various polymeric materials have made them materials of choice in oral health: dental implants, oral and maxillofacial surgery, and even regenerative medicine. Oral biomaterials research today is an exciting and intensive multidisciplinary area that encompasses contributions from a wide range of fields from professional dentistry to biology, chemistry, physics, material science, and engineering.
Materials in Oral Health is a FREE 4-week course open to all interested learners. In the course, you will learn about the special properties and benefits of biomaterials including, titanium and titanium alloys, zirconia and other alloys, ceramics, and modern composites. You will gain insights of the practical use of these biomaterials in different aspects of dentistry and clinical implications. You will realize how contemporary dentistry is about unifying synthetic materials to living tooth and bone tissues. You will get in touch with the crucial roles of digital dentistry and learn about CAD/CAM technology in crown fabrication, 3D printing and digital orthodontics. And lastly, you will be introduced to procedures and testing methods used to test significant mechanical properties of biomaterials in the research laboratory.
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Jukka Pekka Matinlinna

James Kit Hon Tsoi

Transcript

All tricalcium silicate endodontic cements contain always a radiopacifier. The main reason for the addition of the radiopacifier is because the tricalcium silicate, since it is calcium based, cannot be distinguished from the surrounding bone. This is a problem because a clinician needs to see where the material has been implanted for record purposes. In mineral trioxide aggregate for all brands, the main radiopacifier material has been Bismuth Oxide. Over the years, some concerns have been raised about the use of the bismuth oxide. One of the main concerns being that the material is not stable. X-ray diffraction analysis of the material in the powder form has compared to the material after 28 days of hydration have shown that the start amount is 21%, after 28 days, only 8% of the bismuth oxide were shown to be available in the oxide form. So the material must have leached out, or must have reacted with the neighbouring tissues. Further knowledge is important to know the problems with this bismuth oxide and its effect on the human tissues. Other concerns more recent with the bismuth oxide is the tooth discoloration. The bismuth oxide, again, in several studies have been shown to react with formaldehyde. The formaldehyde is usually formed from reactions of resins, and the formaldehyde is a by-product of resin reactions, and the formaldehyde will react with the bismuth present in the mineral trioxide aggregate causing a discoloration. Other reactions have been reported with collagen as collagen is presented in tooth tissue and the main problematic reaction is the reaction of the bismuth oxide with sodium hypochlorite. In endodontics, sodium hypochlorite is used as a disinfectant inside the root canal so it is used in every endodontic procedure, and mineral trioxide aggregate or anything based on bismuth oxide, is placed in close contact with a root canal that has been irrigated with sodium hypochlorite and discoloration which is immediate and very severe is picked up and tooth discoloration is seen. The tooth discoloration happens because the bismuth has also been shown to move from the material to the tooth structure. Because of this problem with bismuth oxide, which has also been shown to reduce the strength of the material in various studies, all the second generation or if not all, most of the second generation materials available on the market, use alternative radiopacifiers. Examples of alternative radiopacifiers that can be used in second generation materials include zirconium oxide(ZrO2), tantalum oxide(O5Ta2), calcium tungstate (CaWO4), and barium zirconate (BaZrO3).

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